OTD | Martin Guptill scored the second double-century of the ODI World Cup 2015

A double century in an ODI match was once considered an impossible task. But once Sachin Tendulkar breached this barrier, the floodgates opened. Several batters have smashed double centuries since then. The 2015 ODI World Cup saw two batters achieving this rare milestone. First, the West Indies legend Chris Gayle scored a double-century against Zimbabwe. Later, Martin Guptill scored an unbeaten 237 runs against West Indies in the quarter-final of the tournament, on this day. 

The Kiwis go hard in the first innings 

New Zealand faced West Indies in the fourth quarter-final in Wellington. It was an easy decision for the Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum to bat first after winning the toss in a high-stakes encounter. However, McCullum could not contribute much and his dismissal was the first blow that the Blackcaps suffered in the powerplay itself. But fortunately for New Zealand, McCullum’s departure did not have an adverse impact as Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson compensated for his wicket. Guptill continued to put more pressure on the opposition with his relentless hard-hitting. For the third wicket, Guptill and Ross Taylor added 143 runs. Interestingly, Taylor only contributed 42 runs in that partnership. 

Martin Guptill carried the Kiwi batting unit and singlehandedly demolished the opposition. The right-handed opener smashed 237 runs off just 163 deliveries. As a result of this batting masterclass, New Zealand reached 393 runs in the first innings. 

West Indies falter in the run chase

It was a daunting task in front of West Indies to chase down 394 runs in a high-pressure match like a quarter-final. Their start did not help them either. In the powerplay, West Indies had already lost four wickets which included the dismissals of big names like Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Johnson Charles, and Denesh Ramdin. There were multiple small partnerships but none of them could hurt New Zealand as the Kiwis kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Trent Boult troubled the opposition the most as he emerged as the leading wicket-taker for his team with 4 wickets. Eventually, New Zealand wrapped up the match by restricting West Indies to 250 runs in the run chase. A massive 143-run victory confirmed New Zealand’s place in the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup.